Rory McIlroy moved another step closer to marking his sixth Race to the Dubai crown after carding a five-under-par 67 to share the lead with Tyrrell Hatton after the opening round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The four-time Major champion holed a 48ft putt on the Earth Course’s 17th for his sixth birdie of the day, following earlier gains on the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 10th and 14th holes, with his lone bogey coming on the fifth.
McIlroy is chasing his third DP World Tour Championship victory having won the title at Jumeirah Golf Estates in 2012 and 2015, and claimed the Race to Dubai crown both times.
He strengthened his chances of finishing the week with two trophies again by matching Hatton’s opening effort, with South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, the only player yet to deny him the Race to Dubai title, six shots off 37th place. position after opening one over 73.
Hatton, who has made two runs at the DP World Tour Championship in 2016 and 2022, posted seven birdies in his round of 67.
Last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner, Paul Waring, continued his impressive form by signing 68 players to take one medal in his quest for a repeat of the Rolex Series titles.
BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel is back at three under in fourth place with seven other players, including Keita Nakajima, Rikuya Hoshino, Matt Wallace and Niklas Nørgaard.
Speaking after his opening round, McIlroy said: “I thought I hit the ball very well today. I gave myself a lot of chances, and when I got out of position, I was smart and just tried to get it back in shape or leave myself room to work if I missed the green.
“The course is more difficult to play than in previous years due to the intensity of the difficulty. We will have to keep the football playing as much as possible over the next three days.
“I want to leave here and win the tournament. I opened a very good score, but I need to go out and play in the same way for the next three days, not only to try to win the championship, but also to try to get the job done in The Race to Dubai.
I am under no illusions that that was Thriston’s worst day. If he goes out and has a good three, I still need to go out and play solid golf.”
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